Building construction



July 13, 1937. c. F. DAvls 2,087,218

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed April 15, 1935 v ATTORNEY.

Ato

Patented July 13, 1937 vBUILDING CONSTRUCTION Clarke F. Davis, Short Hills, N. J., assignor to American Cyanamid & Chemical Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application April 15, 1935, Serial No. 16,401

4 Claims.

The present'inventionrelates to a precast slab and a building construction embodying the Same.

The principal object of the invention is the production. of a load sustaining deck or surface of exceptional strength where the load sustaining ability of the deck is greater than the sum of the units comprising .the same.

A Another important object of the invention is the use of light metal longitudinal reinforcements in precast units of such shape as to enhance the load sustaining ability of lsuch a slab and minimize its breakage.

To this end, the invention contemplates a building construction including at least two precast slabs or units with adjacent longitudinal edges where each slab contains at least one longitudinal reinforcement embedded therein and a common lateral reinforcement partially embedded in each slab and engaging the longitudinal reinforcements of each slab. In other aspects, the invention includes the use of a dowel or the like on one slab which may be driven partially therefrom into its neighbor to engage the longitudinal reinforcement in the neighboring slab. The invention further comprises the novel construction of the individual units going to make up the building construction as above.

lThek invention further consists of the novel arrangement, construction and combination of parts more fully hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawing of Which- Fig. 1 is a plan view o-f a slab constructed according to this invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View showing a building co-struction made of two slabs similar to that of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail showing one method of eng-agement of the dowel end with 40 a slab reinforcement;

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 3 showing a modied form of dowel;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective showing the method of engagement of a dowel with the longi- 45 tudinal reinforcement of that slab.

Referring now with particularity to the embodiments illustrated, the slab of Fig. l is shown to consist of abody I of any suitable cementitious material such as gypsum or the like, with the edge 50 tongued and grooved or ship lapped as desired. This precast body is. provided with one or more, preferably two, longitudinal reinforcements, indicated at 2 and 3 and one or more dowels 4 preferably cast in the slab at the time of its forma- 55 tion. A convenient method of holding such dowels in place during the casting or pouring operation is shown in the detail of Fig. 5 where the dowel penetrates the reinforcement.

A longitudinal reinforcement which has been found to be particularly e'cacious and remark- `5 ably cheap is that type shown in Fig. 5 made from light gauge sheet metal and bent with a plurality of longitudinal bends. Such shape may be said to have a neutral axis represented by the part 5 ith the top and bottom flanges Gand 1 on one 10 side of that axis and the V-shaped groove 8 on the other side thereof. When such a shape is incorporated into a precast slab as a reinforcement and a load is put upon the face of the slab, it will be apparent that, there being projections on each 15 side of the neutral axis 5, there is nota great deal of tendency for this reinforcement to tip one way or the other. For this reason, this shape is of more value than an ordinary channel which does not have the groove 8 nor the turned-in 20 ends 9. In addition to; the above, the fact that such a shape has a plurality of longitudinal bends, in fact seven, renders it particularly stiff in spite of the fact that it is made of a comparatively light gauge sheet metal. Slabs incorporating such shapes have been found, under load, to be remarkably stable.

The dowels 4 are made of a length substantially the width dimension of a slab so that the ends do not project there-from. They may be pointed at the end or not as desired, although points are desirable as such a` shape has less of a tendency to crack orspall the body of a slab when driven therein.

In erection, two slabs are placed with their longitudinal edges adjacent` as in Fig. 2 and the dowel of one slab, for instance the right hand slab, partially driven therefrom and partially into the adjacent slab, such as the left hand slab. In practice, it is desirable that the dowel be driven into the slab until the end thereof meets the longitudinal reinforcement of the slab into which it is driven. Such a construction is particularly efcient if the dowel 4 is made to enter the groove in the longitudinal reinforcement of the slab` into which it is driven, such for instance, in the manner shown'in Figs. 3 and 4. Where the end of the dowel is pointed as at il), it may conform closely to the sides of the V-groove in the longitudinal reinforcements although it is not necessary because such reinforcements being of comparatively light gauge, it may be readily distorted as shown in Fig. 4. As a matter of fact, as shown in the latter case where the dowel is not provided with a point, this deformation has a tendency to grip the end of the dov/el more rrnly and lend strength to the entire structure.

Load tests on decks constructed substantially in accorda-nce with Fig. 2 have indicated a remarkable load bearing capacity. These tests have indicated conclusively that such a high degree of effiner shown in Fig. 5.

ciency is due primarily to the fact that a common reinforcing element actually engages longitudinal reinforcements in adjacent slabs. The load bearing capacity, therefore, is greater than the sum of the load bearing capacity of the individual units going to make up the construction.

Of course, it is to be understood that any number of dov/els may be used per slab and the longitudinal reinforcements may be reversed as to position, although this is not as desirable a construction as that shown. Again, the end of the dowel need not terminate at the longitudinal reinforcement in the slab into which it is driven but it may actually penetrate the same in the man- In this situation they desirable circumstance of a common reinforcing elernent engaging the reinforcement of two adjacent slabs still obtains. Where the end of the dovvel does not penetrate; the reinforcement of the slab into which it is driven, that reinforcement serves as an eifective locating stop so that the erector will know when vhe has. driven the dowel into the proper location.

While this construction is of particular advantage in connection with load bearing surfaces, such as floor and roof decks, yet obviously the invention is not to be limited thereto inasmuch as Walls or ceilings made according to this method have particular rigidity which in many instances is desirable.

I claim;

l. A building construction including precast slabs With adjacent longitudinal edges, one slab having a longitudinal reinforcement therein, and a doWel penetrating said reinforcement, the other slab having a longitudinal reinforce-ment provided With a groove, the dowel of the first slab partially penetrating the second slab, said dovvel engaging thereinforcement of the second slab in the groove.

2. A building construction including precast slabs With adjacent longitudinal edges, one slab having a. longitudinal reinforcement therein, and a dowel penetrating said reinforcement, the other slab having a longitudinal reinforcement provided with a groove, the dovvel of the first slab partially penetrating the second slab, the end of said dowel Wedgingly engaging the reinforcement of the second slab.

3. The building construction of claim 2 in Which the reinforcement of the second slab is provided with a` V-groove, With the end of the dovvel located in said groove.

4. The building construction of claim 2 in which the reinforcement of the second slab is provided with a V-groo-ve, the end of the doWel of the rst slab being shaped similarly to said groove and seated therein. l

CLARKE F. DAVIS. 

